Geography

Geography is broadly concerned with the study of the physical and human environments of the world. If you are curious about the world in which you live and have an interest in the environment ,then you will find Geography a stimulating and fascinating subject to study. Geography is a very fair subject in that the level of success achieved closely reflects the amount of commitment and dedication that a pupil shows. If you have enjoyed the subject so far and feel that you have coped with its demands, then you should do well at GCSE.

There will be 2 field days during the course. An urban day in Bristol in the summer term of Year 10 and a physical day investigating rivers and coasts at the start of Year 11. (A foreign trip will also take place to Iceland every other year).

Geography is an extremely popular subject at GCSE and a good number of pupils progress to succeed at A Level.

Paper 1 Living with the Physical Environment

Paper 1 involves the study of the physical environment. This includes the challenge of natural hazards, physical landscapes of the UK (glacial, coastal and river landscapes) and a consideration of the impact we have on the ‘living world’.

Paper 2 Challenges on the Human Environment

Paper 2 involves the study of the human environment. This includes the issues and challenges in urban areas, the changing economic world and the increasing challenges of resource management (water, energy and mineral resources).

In teaching these topics, we make use of a wide variety of resources including maps, photographs, IT and videos. Throughout the course we will study geographical skills, eg. Ordnance Survey mapwork, photograph interpretation and the drawing of graphs and maps. All pupils have their own textbooks and each classroom has a set of recent atlases. Wherever possible, topics are studied through practical enquiries and the nature of the subject enables us to make use of a variety of teaching strategies. Central to our work is the application of theory to the real world through the use of case studies.

Paper 3 Geographical applications

Paper 3 ensures pupils have the opportunity to experience geographical fieldwork without having to produce a lengthy project or controlled assessment. Field trips will be undertaken in both physical and human environments and pre-release material will be provided before the exam to assess pupils’ investigation skills.